Retro Polka Dot Nail Art

Yeelllloooo! I mean Hello again

Have you ever disliked something coz you have had too much of it?

As in completely put off by it or the sudden urge to run from someplace or thing?

yes? Me too.

From Polka! As a child I had polka in and on everything. 

Yes so much so that I got sooo put off by polka design that I cant remember anything I own with Polka in the last 15 years :O

So yes this post is still a shock to me!! I got a set of QA-OB plates couple of weeks ago and it has this really pretty polka stamp on it. And I thot Y not? Lets try.

I used a light pink creme base and stamped a polka dot design on it in purple

Then between every alternate column I dotted with white.

This is what it turned out and I m pretty pleased about it.

Base: Faux OPI (similar to OPI Mod about you)

Stamping Plate: QA3

Stamping colour: Kleancolor Metallic Fuschia

White Dots: Colorbar Exclusive 37 (white), + dotting tool

It turned out very picturesque..no kidding. Infact I got asked if those were fake nails. Hehe!

I am planning to try this using some other colour combinations. Any suggestions for another one?

Guest Post: Deborah Lippmann at last!!

Heeellloooo! I am very excited about today's post!!


Today is the first guest post on my blog ever and its written by Dhara Singh. Me and Dhara first started talking on twitter and as I got to know her better, I realised she is a big nail polish lover at heart, (later I figured its just not just nail polish its "everything that includes cosmetics or is related to beauty). She won the first giveaway on my blog and I met her up to give her the prizes when she had popped into my town. She told me that was expecting a few DL polishes and I was like "I soooo wannna seee them". She has very generously agreed to write this for for me, Thank you Dhara!!. I hope you enjoy post as much as I did.
____

Speechless...that was me when I received 2 nail polishes from a very high end polish brand 'Deborah Lippmann' as gifts. My bestie had her brother send it from London just in time for my birthday :D She called for 1 but her generous bro sent one more bottle, stating it was on his behalf...how cute is it when guys(however he is related) buy you cosmetic stuff !!  The polishes I got are 'Do Ya Think I'M sexy' and 'Across the Universe'

The Deborah Lippmann(DL henceforth) is a square shaped bottle with matte black cap. The brush is quite thin, thinner than the maybelline nail polish brush.All DL polishes are 3 free i.e Formaldehyde, Toluene and Dibutyl Phthalate free. Yayy to that !!


Price 16£..approx Rs. 1200 :o

Do Ya Think I'M Sexy is a super glamorous red hex glitter in clear base. The bottle is jam packed with glitter, so shiny red hexagons is all you see when you take a look at the bottle, giving generous amount of glitter on your nails in a single application. The glitters seem to cluster together so you need to drag them a bit for even coverage and also re-dip the brush to cover the entire nail.The glitter is absolutely non gritty and feels smooth after top coat application. Removing this glitter is a bit of a pain but it is worth all the stares you will receive with these polishes on ;) 

 Drying time is a tiny bit more since the formula is a bit on the thicker side but isn't that the case with all the glitter polishes ? I like this best as a layering polish. It looks best on black, white and red bases but you could always experiment with different colors. You would need around 3 coats to do a full on bling nail, but I don't favour it much since too much glitter doesn't look appealing and it would be a waste given how pricey the polish is :p

Across the Universe is a navy blue jelly, filled with light blue and green hex glitters and turquoise fine glitter, giving a look of midnight sky. Twilight anyone ? :D This goes opaque in 2 coats and I love how it looks on its own and on blue polishes. On black, I think, it's not soo hot !! The glitter in here is non gritty as well. The formula for this one is a bit thinner than Do Ya...and a bit streaky as well. Removing this one was a pain as well but uhh never mind !!!

Given the price, I wouldn't want to buy any other polishes from this brand, receiving it as a gift is a definite yes ;) Searching for dupes would be a nice option. Its not available in India ! Boon or curse.. What say ??

OPI warm and fuzzy + Indian wedding nail art

Well hellooo there!

Who doesnt like a warm hug or a hot mug of cocoa with marshmallows swimming in it?

This is my cup of warm and fuzzy :D

Today's base in a dupe of OPI Warm and fuzzy I picked up from a trip abroad.

It is a warm brown base with bronze and copper tones and gold, pink, rust colored glass flecks.

This is one polish I absolutely adore to team up with Indian wear. It goes well on almost anything and any colour combination. Also has a nice jewel toned effect.

This below is a pic of the image I stamped on from plate XL E

Stamped using: Gosh metallic Green

Base: Faux OPI Warm and Fuzzy

Stamping plate: XL E

Stamping colour: Gosh Metallic green

I loved really loved this whole look of the mani..turned out very Indian-y!

Inglot 720 Nail Enamel + Striping tape nail art

Now I no more enjoy this summer. Its getting waaay too hot here in Mumbai. Feels like I step out into an oven. But I am certainly having fun using these bright summer nail polishes! yum yum!

Today I am showing you Inglot's 720 Nail enamel.

The funny thing about this shade is; it wasnt written matte on the box or the bottle..and yet it is.

I was pleasantly surprised when this dried pretty fast to a matte bright coral-pink.

These days I am all in love with mattes and pastels. 

Do you like matte polishes? I loved this one..plan to make a another mani using this soon.

With this I used a light holo-green striping tape. I've kept this mani very minimal as I didnt want to cover the base much. So I've used striping tape and criss-crossed it on my ring finger for an accent.

 Added a matt top coat to seal the stripe. Simple yet chic...think so?

Blue Sponging Nail Art

Hello Fellos!

Today's post is one of the firstest things I had learnt when I started to learn about nail art.

Sponging. The other day when a friend on twitter asked for suggestion for a nice mani but something that didnt take much time. I suggested this to her. I find sponging manis have a greater stare/hard work ratio than other techniques like water marbling or free hand drawing.

So that is my cheat code! Shhhh!

Here it goes:

Base colours:

Colorbar Exclusive 37 White

China Glaze: For Audrey

OPI: Dating a Royal

Stamping colour: Konad White

Stamping Plate: M51

Have you tried sponging yet?

Block Print Nails

Hiiiieee,

Quick post today!!  Cant seem to really write anything off my head...also not sure how many of you actually read!!! :p

I really love this kind of full nail stamp with intricate designs esp those with Baroque and block prints.

With the wedding season coming on..I think these will be a nice statement with eye catching nails especially paired with jewel toned colours.

Base: Colorama Marinho

Stamping Plate: Konad M83

Stamping Color: Gosh Metallic Blue.

I am in love this these Gosh colours...they stamp extremely well. 

Sighhh..I wish we'd get more of these kinds here.

I'd love to read your comments on this. 

Got Monday Morning Blues?? Beat them!!

Got monday morning blues? I got some..actually I get many! Aarrghhhh!

I think I start getting them by sunday evening just coz I know it monday tomorrow. LOL!

I've put on this really bright and cheery mani to help me put them off. 

I have used Sally Hansen's Firm Fig for the base + Inglot Matte Top coat

Stamping plates: M69 (stamped straight and upside down on alternate fingers)

Stamping colour: Konad White

Sally Hansen's Firm Fig is sheer and the above pic took 4-5 coats to make it opaque, resulting in pillow imprints on my nails from the previous night when I applied it. 

 This is how the base looks with Inglot's Matte Top coat. (Rs. 490/-) ($10)

This is my first matte top coat and I am in Love with this effect. It also smoothened out the pillow lines :)

Dries really fast and gives a nice smooth matt look. Doesn't feel powdery.

This top coat does show little tip wear after 2 days..as you see in the mani (1st pic), the tips have a slight sheen. But one can easily re-apply top coat  every 2 days as it dries soon.

I loved the effect of this. Instead of searching for various shades in matt, I think its best to buy a matte top coat and use it on your existing polishes. 

Do you have a Matt top coat? or plan to buy one?

Love to hear your comments on this.

P.S: Also I am making a couple of easy-to-do nail wheels for Indian marriage-y nails. 

If you have any colour suggestions that you'd like to pair with a dress do let me know. If you are the bride-to-be I'd love to come up with some easy peasy manis for your big day. 

Do leave your suggestions for colour combinations you'd like to see.

*: All polishes/top coats have been bought buy me and I am not affiliated with Inglot

Spring Morning

Hi You,

Morning is not my favourite part of the day :( 

I am as someone would say "nocturnal".  I just cant Get-Up!!! However as part of a new routine I am trying to develop I attempt to get up when my alarm rings..and I can safely say it has lasted a whole 2 days. LOL!

Well I still have a vacation hangover from my trip and seem to be getting up a bit early these days I decided to attempt what I spring morning would look like. Hope you enjoy this as much.

Base: Inglot Nail Enamel 716

Stamping Colour: Konad White

Stamping Image: M36,  Big butterfly:A series XL plate

Surprisingly this Inglot polish is a matt. I did not pick it up as a matt, as I did not read on the package when I bought this.

But after swatching this I was in love with this. Its a nice subtle pink-brown (more pink less brown) with a  matt finish. It doesn't look powdery though it does reflect a bit more light then some matts I have seen. 

Are you a morning person?

Please leave your comments. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one.

Glitter glitter everywhere!

Thats it!! I've jumped into the glitter bandwagon.

Ever since glitter polishes started appearing on blogs I've been drooling over them.

But then I also read that they were a pain to take out, which stopped me from trying them.

Also as I was packing for my rafting trip, I realised I wouldnt get time to polish my nails on the trip and I didnt wanna lug weight with me as I knew we'd have to carry our bags to the camp at the riverside.

So I had to put on a mani that wud last me atleast 5-6 days. This is my "eureka".

 Lasted me all of 6 days of which 4 days were spent rafting atleast 2-3 hours each day. 

Base: Colorbar exclusive 18

Icing:  Epic Winning

WetnWild: Party of five

 

I had won the glitters from Canadian Nail Fanatic in her giveaway last year

I have applied the Icing glitter halfway down the nail and WnW Party of Five 1/3 rd way to the tip as I attempted a possible gradient effect.

Party of Five is a good dupe for Deborah Lippmann's gorgeous Happy Birthday.

Verdict: I would strongly recommend glitters to anyone who doesnt like to change their polishes often or to those who wanna save some bag space on a trip.

________

Now some picture spam from my trip :D

The camp I stayed at..next to the Ganges!

I am under the big wave, sitting first on the left. 

He is one of the instructors at the rafting camp!!!! (Drool!)

yes..Thats me! Bungy-ing at 83m.

(Pic courtesy: Mohit Midha)

I hope you enjoyed the mani and the post